Once again, Microsoft Diversity Event draws hordes hungry for recruiters' secrets

National Society of Hispanic MBAs organized its Diversity Recruiting and Networking Event on Thursday, November 11, 2010, in Microsoft's new The Commons. Once again, NAAAP-Seattle served as one of NHSMBA's lead partners.

The first Diversity Recruiting and Networking Event earlier this spring drew 600 people. This time, organizers anticipated capping attendance at 300.

But 400 showed up to learn and network.

The attendees spent their evening exploring their options at the career fair, engaging in one-on-one sessions with recruiters, and listening to a special panel moderated by Christine Chen on how Microsoft recruiters find new talent using social media.

And for dessert? A fountain of chocolate fondue, in assorted fruit for dipping.

Photo by Cammie Tran: NAAAP-Seattle Web Support Chair Sherwin Tsai and NAAAP-Seattle Students Relations Chair Amy Duong man the NAAAP-Seattle informational booth with Kaplan.

Cooking for 80 at Ronald McDonald House

Just as chilly weather descended on Seattle last Sunday, Nov. 21, eleven NAAAP-Seattle volunteers dedicated five hours to cooking a meal for 80 patients at Ronald McDonald House, which supports seriously ill patients and their families at the nearby Children's Hospital.

The incoming 2011 NAAAP-Seattle Community Service Chair Jenafer Park coordinated the event.

Park said that "everyone really liked the food and kept thanking us for being there."

The volunteers not only gave their time, but also their dime. Their individual donations of $20 went to buying the supplies for the meal.

The NAAAP-Seattle team devised a menu of fruits, pigs in a blanket (sausage wrapped in puff pastry), fried rice, chicken cutlets, spinach salad, and, for dessert, ice cream with mint cookies. The volunteers prepped and cooked the entire meal in just two hours.

"We wanted it to be different--not the typical spaghetti and sandwiches--stuff that the patients don't actually get to eat often," said Park. "For example, fruits like pears and pineapples that we provided were actually a treat for them."

Other NAAAP-Seattle volunteers included: John Park, Leigh Momii, 2010 Community Service Chair David Eam, NAAAP-Seattle Membership Chair Kevin Chang, Sherwin Tsao, Heng Sun, Theresa and Hervey Froehlich, Yiqing Wang, and Miles Matsumoto. For half the volunteers, this was their first time at Ronald McDonald House.

The (Original) Social Network - Speed Networking

Over forty people huddled in the Seattle Times auditorium on November 9 to listen to Seattle Times reporter Sharon Chan and King 5 reporter Owen Lei divulge their networking secrets. Then the attendees poured into the lobby to apply what they learned in a speed networking session.

Chan is the national president of Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and Lei is the Vice-President of the Seattle Chapter of AAJA. NAAAP-Seattle also partnered with Executive Development Institute (EDI), National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and TAPS.

This was the first NAAAP-Seattle event for both Chan and Lei, who said they appreciated the energy and enthusiam of the crowd, most of whom were NAAAP-Seattle members.

New NAAAP-Seattle member John Tran said at the end of the speed networking session, "I talked so much, my throat hurts now!"

The event was catered by NAAAP-Seattle celebrity chef Tanantha Couilliard of I Just Love My Apron.

Photos by Julie Pham/NAAAP-Seattle.

31st Annual Leadership and Scholarship Gala: A masquer-Asian Ball

By Ninette Cheng

Last Saturday (November 6), NAAAP-Seattle celebrated thirty-one years of scholarship, leadership and the future at the 31st Annual Leadership and Awards Gala.

180 of us dined, networked, auctioned for items and danced the night away at the Golf Club at Newcastle. This year’s scholarship winners included Stacy Huynh, Erin Kim and Tian Kisch. The NAAAP national scholarship awarded Seattle’s Erika Sanchez, also in attendance.

Huynh is a recent graduate of the University of Washington and former director of UW’s Asian Student Commission. She will be using the scholarship to continue her education in UW’s Master of Professional Accounting Program for Audit & Assurance.

NAAAP-Seattle MasquerAsian Ball Photo Booth, Nov. 6, 2010, Newcastle Golf Club.
To see more: http://tinyurl.com/24tck7b
Photo by Don Pham (http://www.donaldpham.com/)

Kim is a graduating senior from Issaquah and founder of charity Fostering Tunes, a branch of the Treehouse foster care organization, which allows foster children to share their stories through music.

Kisch is the co-president and co-founder of Redmond High School’s first Asian Student Association and is a lifelong member of the Families with Children from China Northwest (FCC-NW). Kisch organized and planned a volunteer trip to work in Chinese orphanages in and around Beijing and Xian during the summer of 2009.

Sanchez is a senior at Seattle University. She is currently involved with the United Filipino Club (UFC) and her youth group Bukas Loob sa Diyos (BLD).

Christine Umayam, founder and CEO of Child United, stepped in at the last minute (replacing James Sun) as the keynote interviewer. Umayam spoke about her charity and the importance of working with and helping children receive an education.

“Education is the key to everything: a better future, limitless opportunities and intellectual growth,” Umayam said. “Through education, we are seeing a ripple effect happening before our own eyes... seeing a child shine gives hope to their families, in turn it helps their community.”

The gala is not only for the scholarship; like all our events, it’s a great networking opportunity and time for our members.

“It’s a good way to network and meet people and see what’s happening in the community a little bit,” guest and NAAAP member Ed Goh said. “In that sense it was good to see some of the work and the initiatives that are happening. It was good to see young people moving ahead and getting their dreams fulfilled. I didn’t grow up here so to hear these high school kids talk about their conflicts and confusions was a little interesting.”

Despite the stormy weather outside, the evening was great fun. We hope you had fun and if you did not attend, be sure to join us next year!

"Work hard, play hard, NAAAP hard" video marketing campaign launched

The Seattle chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) launched its "Work hard, play hard, NAAAP hard" marketing campaign this week with two online video commercials. The first is a general introduction to NAAAP-Seattle and the second represents the first in a series that will focus on NAAAP-Seattle's award-winning community service program's partnerships with other local non-profits, in this case, FareStart.

NAAAP-Seattle PR/Marketing Chair Julie Pham came up with the idea of producing an online video campaign to promote the NAAAP-Seattle brand after fellow NAAAP-Seattle member, Connie Sugahara, suggested filming the chapter's professional development lectures and posting them online.

"This kind of video marketing will bring people closer to NAAAP," said Gil Gido, NAAAP-Seattle president and principal at the social media firm, Ulysses' Social Media Marketing Company (USMMC).

In Gido's "President's Perspective" blog, former NAAAP-Seattle President Andy Yip was quoted as saying, "I work, I play, I NAAAP." Yip’s words inspired Pham to think of how "NAAAP" could also be used as a verb.

"I started to think of what NAAAP means to me," said Pham. "I'm constantly inspired by the dedication of my fellow NAAAP board members in pursuing our mission to build leaders. Through brainstorming with other board members, we decided 'to NAAAP' can mean to give, to grow, to learn, to mentor, to be mentored, to network, to volunteer....a whole lot of things."

"Work hard, play hard, NAAAP hard" became the new slogan for NAAAP-Seattle.

Eventually, each NAAAP-Seattle program director will be featured in at least one commercial. In one of the debut commercials, NAAAP-Seattle Community Service Chair David Eam spoke about NAAAP-Seattle's partnership with FareStart.

FareStart Marketing Communications Manager Karla Smith-Jones said, “FareStart is grateful to the NAAAP for all of their support of FareStart, including their volunteer commitment and their interest in partnering with us to raise awareness for both organizations."

Pham explained, "We can help build each other's brand through cross-marketing. We produce the clip and our community partners will share it with their audience."

"At FareStart, we think building community is key to creating better lives, and there’s no better way to build community than nonprofits working together," Smith-Jones added. She will share the commercial with the 14,000 FareStart supporters.

The general introduction to NAAAP featured many other local non-profits as well, including organizations as diverse as the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity, Foodline, Executive Development Institute, and National Association of Hispanic MBAs.

NAAAP-Seattle produced the commercials on a shoestring. Pham and NAAAP-Seattle member and New York Life financial adviser Vanessa Diego lent their voices to the project. Pham enlisted the help of her younger brother, Don Pham, to edit and produce the clips.

You can find NAAAP-Seattle's commercials on YouTube.